A bad day

Squiggles did not take a nap yesterday. As in, no sleep at all.

I should have known the path our day was going to take when I woke up at 9:30 and didn't hear anything on the monitor. Usually Squiggles is singing or talking to himself or, if I've been asleep too soundly, crying out for me. Yesterday there was nothing. He probably slept longer today because he was up for 30-45 minutes the night before. I went in to get him and he was sitting up quietly playing with his pillow, so I don't think he had been up for long.

He was very pleasant in the morning because he had gotten so much sleep, and asked to go out after breakfast (i.e., he took me over to the garage door and said "dis, dis!"). Yes, an outing, what a good idea little child! So we got dressed and headed out into the beautiful sunshine. We went to Babies R Us to look at a few things and then I figured we'd head to Chik-fil-a for a bite of lunch and some playtime.

He was great as we meandered through the store; but after we checked out, he started to unravel. The trigger was a giant ride-on Garfield as we left the store. I didn't have any change to turn it on, but I let him walk around it and even set him in it to "ride" the kitty. He had a lot of fun, but after a bit, I told him it was time to go. Cue meltdown!

Thinking maybe the promise of chicken nuggets and a slide would help him, we drove over to Chik-fil-a. No luck. He was crying and screaming and had already flung his socks and shoes at the back of the seat in front of him. I got out of the car to explain what we were doing, but he just screamed louder and tried to hit me (our fun new discovery, which Brian and I are not impressed with). So we left - I wasn't about to take him into public already mid-meltdown.

I managed to calm him down during the ride home using this trick I read in Parents magazine a few months back: I act out his emotions and use words to describe how I think he feels. In this case, I banged my fist on my leg and declared that I know he must be frustrated, hungry and tired, and that it's okay to feel that way. It usually works like a charm. I hoped he would fall asleep on the way home, because I figured he was tired after all the screaming. Wrong again.

We went back and forth over the next couple of hours, me trying to get him to sleep and he throwing a fit over it. So at 3:30 I gave up and we snuggled in the chair together under a blanket and watched Sesame Street.

After this "rest" and a good snack, he perked up a bit and was only slightly trying for the rest of the day. Of course, I was ready to rush out of the house as soon as Brian got home, but it all worked out. Good thing last night was Zumba night for me!

A Lovely Day

It's almost 6pm, and instead of worrying about getting dinner on the table and trying to snatch away the loaf of bread that Squiggles is taunting the dogs with ('cause he steals it every time I open the refrigerator) AND trying to pick up the house before Brian gets home, I am sitting in a hotel room, watching Friends and surfing the web. I'm not even concerned about dinner (we're going out for Italian). Squiggles is having fun on The Reservation. This is a vacation, people!

And the whole day has been just as relaxing. I did have to ferry Brian to the school this morning; otherwise I would have been hotel-bound all day. I came back to the hotel, got a cup of coffee, and sat in bed doing the USA Today puzzles (Have you seen the Txtpert one? It's pretty cool!) and watching The Today Show. I worked out. I took my time getting ready. I had a leisurely lunch out. I drove around and enjoyed the beautiful weather (mid to upper 60's) and beautiful views of the beach and riverfront. I sat outside with an afternoon cup of coffee and read for over an hour. Now I'm just hanging out until Brian's done working.

This is really a nice break. It took me a long time to get to the point where I could admit that I needed a break from being a mom. I'm sure it stemmed from the fact that I felt guilty about having to work and couldn't be at home with Squiggles like I wanted. I thought that, since I had such little time with him, I shouldn't want to NOT spend time with him. Now I know I need a break every now and then so that I can be a better, calmer, less-stressed mom.

Greetings from the reservation!

Squiggles and I drove down to the reservation to visit with my parents for a few days while Brian works most of the weekend. And, since Tuesday is Veterans Day, my sister has a long weekend and is coming to visit, too. Yay! We're going for winery visit attempt #2 - they have their holiday open house this weekend with crafts and music and wine, I hope. We tried to go last month when they had 50's and 60's music and a classic car show, but it didn't work out. Brian was originally supposed to come with us this time, but he had to be at work for a VIP wedding. I hope that's not a sign of bad things for this weekend!


Anyway, as a follow-up to my car insurance adventure, that stinky gecko raised our premiums $190 per year over what they had originally quoted us! Grrr...I guess it had to do with our driving records. Mine is clean, but Brian has a couple blips on his (nothing serious, not to worry, just speeding and the like which we are all guilty of). However, I have a feeling that the main reason our premiums went up so much is because of that jerk wad who totaled our PT Cruiser back in April. You say you don't know about the jerk was who totaled our PT Cruiser? Long story short, we dropped the Cruiser off with this guy who did some part-time catering work for Brian when he wasn't doing his day job as a mechanic. Well, he *said* he was a mechanic, anyway. Brian said he trusted this guy, so of course I did, too. Unfortunately, we found out the hard way that we should NOT have trusted this guy. He took our car out for a drunken joy ride, ran it off the highway, hit the guardrail and some trees, then fled the scene. No kidding. The highway patrol called us (late) that night to inform us that our car was being towed. We had to total it with the insurance company. It was somewhat of a blessing in disguise, though, because the Cruiser wasn't that great of a car for us. In fact, we always joked that "if there was a way to total the Cruiser without anyone getting hurt..." Ha ha ha. It happened. Be careful what you wish for! We're really happy with the Accord we have now, though. Unfortunately, I have a sinking feeling that it's also the reason our insurance premiums went up. Jerk wad.

(The picture above is of a happier car memory...my little Alero hit 100K miles back in September!)

I found a geico in the backyard!

Ugh. I've spent the day doing some administrative work - changing our address with the last few billers, enrolling in health insurance for next year, and getting new car insurance. That was the real energy-drainer. We've always dealt with a local agency, but now that we're in Florida, we've been forced to switch companies. After much research, we ended up going with Geico because they had the cheapest rates and, well, I'm kinda cheap. It was just all a pain in the butt to get done. So instead of a well-thought out post, here is just a cute picture of Squiggles at Myrtle Beach.

Sunny Fla!

Well, we made it safely to Florida! The day wasn't without its stressful moments, though. Thankfully, none of them had to do with Squiggles. He was a happy baby all through the process of getting to the airport, checking our luggage, going through security, running to the gate, flying, and the reverse once we landed. I nursed him while we were taking off, and he fell asleep and slept for all but the last 15 minutes of the flight!

The stressful parts? Well, we arrived at the airport a little over an hour before departure (I know, it's supposed to be 2 hours, but we have a rinky-dink airport) to find the longest line I've ever seen at the check-in counter! A local high school marching band was on their way to Orlando to perform at Disney World. Cool, but how were we going to make the flight? Thankfully, we found out there was a separate line for non-band members. After some waiting there, we flew through security and to our gate (which were on opposite ends of the airport - why do they do that?) just in time to be called to board. Then, on the flight, I had a kid kicking my seat from behind, and a guy in front of me leaning back. I'm holding a sleeping baby, mind you, and I wanted nothing more than to be out of there!

But, like I said, we arrived safely and for that I am thankful. It's beautiful here, and I can't wait to relax and enjoy some time off.

Is this baby FAA approved?

We leave for Florida in just over two days now, so I've started reading up on airline travel with an infant. I don't think it will be too bad, as long as the following things happen:

• I remember to take all of the liquids/gels/creams out of Squiggles' diaper bag and put them in a 1qt zip top bag. Unless they are over 3oz, then they have to go in his checked bag. Oh, and I have to remember to put my little necessities (hand lotion, lip gloss) in there, too.


• I resist the very real urge to over pack. Since we didn't purchase a separate ticket for Squiggles, we are limited to two carry-on bags and 4 checked pieces of luggage. Shouldn't be too hard since Mom & Dad have a washer and dryer at the house (won't have to pack every onesie we own), but I think I brought way more than that on our last weekend trip.


• We're praying that: a) the flight isn't full, and b) that no one decides to take the middle seat in the three-seat row. Again, since I'm cheap and didn't spring for an infant ticket, Chef and I will reserve the window and aisle seats for ourselves; hopefully that will make the other passengers look elsewhere for seats. Unless, like I mentioned, the flight is full.


• The airline lets us gate-check Squiggles' car seat and stroller travel system. Bonus points if the aforementioned middle seat is available and we can actually strap him into the car seat (note to self: must check and see if car seat is rated for air travel).

Of course, I'm leaving off the really obvious things, like praying that our flight isn't delayed - especially on the runway! - and that Squiggles' takes to flying like he's done it a thousand times before. Actually, now that I've actually written down this list, I'm getting a little intimidated. And I didn't even get started on what it might be like to change a diaper at 30,000 feet!

Clean Sweep

Secret Agent Josephine posted today about helping her mom clean out her sewing room and what an emotional ordeal it was for them. I can kind of relate. My parents got rid of a lot of stuff when they moved out of my childhood home last year. I'm not sure they were pack rats in the true sense of the word, but after living in the same house for 22 years you tend to accumulate a lot without really realizing it. My mom would call every couple of days and ask me if I wanted this cake pan or that set of sheets. I'm proud of them for really downsizing like they did, and I have to admit that I did take a few (or more) things, but it was still hard to watch. I didn't really want the olive green drink cart that sat in our basement all those years (so long that you kind of didn't notice it anymore), but I wasn't really ready to know that such a fixture of my childhood would be gone, either. I can't even begin to imagine what it was like for Mom.

This struck home with me, too, since I've been beside myself lately on how I've let our closet, our guest closet, and our office go in recent months. In fact, I had a mini panic attack the other night over the fact that my closet needs to be cleaned out. I'm pretty sure that my anxiety is only 20% wanting the house to be clean and organized, and 80% wanting to exert some modicum of control in my life. When I told Mom about this worry, she wisely said, "I think you need to sort some things out in your life". Ah, yes, I do need to sort some things out in my life, not just my closets. Like the ever-present guilt that I have over leaving Squiggles all day for work...work that I don't enjoy. Or dealing with the pressure Chef is putting on himself to gain exposure at work so that we might get ourselves into a position soon where I can stay home with Squiggles.

However, I also really don't want to go through what my parents went through the next time we move. Just because we have the space doesn't mean we have to fill it. Sometimes I miss the little condo.